The Wilmingtonian., 1887-01-22

/ seuleb JOINS anu ne b' hc5 Nlsllen Tue tx
aiming judge snd re4 aested MIN to hear the
confession of the mother. In Germany the
examining judge holds position TO which
we have nothing analogous He is In part
public prosecutor, aud it Is bis office to- col
lect evidence against the accused. The most
important evidence il that obtained froIn the
prisoner himself; be is que ,tioucd by the ex-
aiming jldge in the Iie'e OF IA n0'ary
employed to take hi- r. pIe es. The exanrina-
tious are numerous, aud formerly the most
cruel means were had recourse 10 extOrt
confession. During the inquiry the prison.,
or ia kept in ignorance OF the Charge against
him, aud any Ell deavor on his part u gam
information on the subject is au offelse in
law. He is not allowed to s-e a copy of his
own evidence or that of the witnesses But
when the judge has failed TO obtain con
tession the prisoner is unexpectedly con-
| frunted with one or mJie of the witnesses
against him, or with an accoulpice, If there
DO one, In the hopes of surprising him into a
confession. Should the prisoner refuse to
answer he is put on diet Of bread and wat
er. In cases of murder the accused is led to
the spot where the crime was committed, ana
the bleeding corpse or, may be, the moIIer-
Ing remains are suddenly shown to him Tor.
ture used to be employed to wiring Confess
ion from him. He was subjected to thumb
SCREW, the rack and to tire. Sometimes h.
was kept for months during winter without
ire, and in damp cells wi here he was agoniz.
cd with rheumatism and ague. The cases
are innumerable in which false eunIessions
Of guilt were thus extor;e ed from innocen,
persons. Others have committed suicid,
rather than confess tU crimes they had not
committed.
| the examining judge now proceed yigor-
ously to collect proofs of Marie's guilt He
took the evidence of Lampert on Oath Iu
that evidence Lamp, TT ackaow lodged that b.
could fud no signs Of his lock having been
tampered with nor OF the seal having beeu
forced. Nevertheless, he was able to swear,
by the date Of the dncat found in Mare's
pocket, that it was one of those pieces OF
coin which he had sealed up in his leather
pouch and locked into the chest.
Marie was questioned. She acknowledged
that every evening she went into the bed
room aud where the Golfer was to tidy the
room and prepare the Ued for her master.
Usually she had with her the daughter OF
her MASTER She confessed that she had
been ei gagged in the room on that preceding
the discovery. Also she admitted that the
dress IN the pocket IF v hich tile ducat was
found was one of her own, aud one moreover
which she had worn on that very evening
Nevertheless, she persisted in her assertion
that she was entirely innocent of T. charge
The mother of the girl WAS next cross-ex
amined by the judge. Tho poor woman.
like SO many of the uneducated, thought to
save her daughter by having recourse to
fasehoJd. 1t is a curious fact that the un-
cultured in cIviztd land, like the savage.
regards lying as a natural means of protection
which IL is always safe, and never wrong, to
have recourse to. Frau Keller confronted
" ith the Judge, at once, and naturally, fell
back on lying When asked whence her
daughter had obtained the ducat, tie poor
woman Sasd that was godmether's present
to Marie, which she THE mothe )had former.
ly retained in her possession, but which she
had givcu to Marie when she went into Lam
perts service, because she feared lest, in the
event OF her own death, her other children
might seize on the ducat and refuse to give
IL mp TO Maize,
The pnor woman, in telling this story,
completely broke down the doubt which the
judge had felt hitherto in Marie's guilt. He
looked at the ducat, and it proven by the
date on 1t TO have been struck four years af-
ter Marie's birth. The judge at once charged
the woman with conniying at her daughters
guilt and SHOWED her how false was her evil
dence ON the testimony of the date on the
ducat This completely upset Frau Keller;
she was unable to speak for rome minutes
and at last, in brok en and hesitatng voice
told rhc judge that Aiaries' mistress had sent
for her and offered her the money to indem-
nifty Lampert for his luss, if she would con.
iess that her daughter had committed the
theft and persuade Marie to do so as well.
The judge was SO irritated at the woman's
lie about the ducat that he dismissed this
new story as faoric ltion as false as the for
mer, and made no inquiry in that direction
'NS Ss''SiSN "A"tN pO lub
room, and asked her whether she had been
given ducat by her mother, which had
been christening present from sponsor.
The girl expressed surprise at the question
and in Ter simplicity replied that she had
never had such present.
Then he confronted the mother with the
! daughter.
Frau Keller, confused aud In her confusion
having recourse to her original falsehood,
insisted that what she had said was true
concerning the ducat, that Marie was half
witted creature who forgot the simplest
things told her. Marie, on her side entreat-
cd her mother, for Gods sake, to speak the
truth. She persisted in asserting that her
mother never told her about christening
present, and certainly had given her none.
The end of this alteration WAS that Frau
Keller confessed she had told lie, aud en-
treated forgiveness, because she had been
impelled by love for hor daughter to do all
IN her power to screen her from the charge
of theft and to save her life.
The inquriug judge now demanded that
Marie should be put on the rack, and b.,
| forced TO confess her guilt. The court ap-
pointed counsel for the defence, who op-